The Limit: Life and Death on the 1961 Grand Prix Circuit

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In The Limit, Michael Cannell vividly captures the thrilling rise of Phil Hill, a humble mechanic from California who defied the odds to become the first American-born driver to win the Grand Prix. On the fiftieth anniversary of Hill’s historic triumph, Cannell transports readers to a bygone era of glamour, courage, and high-octane competition.

With the pace of a novel, The Limit chronicles Hill’s journey from racing midget cars on dusty California lots to battling for glory on Europe’s most dangerous Grand Prix tracks. In an age before seat belts or roll bars, these daredevils hurtled around circuits at over 150 mph, facing deadly risks at every turn. Cannell brings this perilous world to life, where drivers were routinely “crushed, burned, and beheaded”—a brutal testament to their pursuit of speed and immortality.